7 Skincare Tips For Travel

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about what you should pack for a winter sun holiday and one of the things I listed was sun protection. After publishing the article I started thinking about how else I protect my skin and keep it healthy when travelling. I am quite lucky that I have never really had any problems with my skin, even when I was a teenager, which means my skincare routine has always been very minimal. However, over the years I have noticed that my skin has changed and I put it down to a lot of travel (and age of course). We all know aeroplanes zap skin as does air conditioning, sun, wind etc basically everything! Therefore, it’s important that I do what I can to TRY to keep my skin healthy and here are my (Vicky’s) 7 skin care tips for travel and some of the products I actually use.

Sun Protection

Sun protection has and always will be at the top of my list when it comes to skin care. I have incredibly fair and sun sensitive skin and in my teens had a skin cancer scare. Therefore, I always try to ensure my skin is protected against the suns damaging rays. On our recent trip to Abu Dhabi, I opted for Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula w/Vitamin E, Eventone Suncare Moisturising Spray Factor 50, which unfortunately let me down in a massive way. I love Palmer’s body butter and its delicious smell so had high hopes for the sun protection spray. However, on our first day, I burnt straight through it and the sun wasn’t even that strong.
Luckily, I had some Rosehip PLUSwith me which even though not specifically designed for sunburn, it can be used. It is such a great a versatile product and can be used anywhere on your body and for many things including reducing the appearance of stretch marks and evening skin tone. The oil is extracted from the rosehip seeds without heat, solvents or chemicals, guaranteeing the oil’s purity and quality. I was worried about using an oil on my face in case it left it greasy or shiny, but it quickly absorbed and soothed my very red skin. I now use it on a daily basis during my skincare routine and it has made my skin lovely and soft.

Stay Hydrated

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t drink as much water as I should on a daily basis, let alone when travelling (tut tut – I know). However, it is something I am conscious about and therefore actively working on as I can really see that my complexion benefits when I up my H2O consumption. I am a tea fiend and more often than not opt for a big mug of Yorkshire tea rather than water. When travelling I am not much better either often choosing fizzy drinks. And as a nervous flyer, I usually need a tipple or two before I step foot on the plane, again not ideal and possibly detrimental to my health, amongst other issues. Therefore, from now on, call it a late New Years resolution, I will at all times carry a bottle of water with me or at least an empty bottle so I can fill it up from water fountains on the run. Drinking at least the recommended 8 glasses of water a day is not only great for your skin but it also has a number of other important health benefits.

Moisturise

Two of the most important lessons my mum ever taught me about skin care were – take your make up off before bed and moisturise. As a teenager and way into my 20s, I’ll admit I did not follow her sage advice. Yet now hurtling (way too fast, may I add) into my mid-30s it is something that I do religiously on a daily basis and more so when travelling. After a random makeover at Bloomingdales in New York last year I found myself with a jar of Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream and for the $100 price tag, I prayed it was magic. And guess what – it was (I say was because I have just finished the jar – must buy some more!). It was a great everyday moisturiser although as I do not have overly dry skin, I found it took a while to absorb in but once it did my skin felt soft and my make up went on easier over the top. As the jar is quite big and heavy I never carried it in my handbag, instead opting for a good old tube of E45 cream, perfect for use when travelling especially on aeroplanes, for face, hands, arms etc.

Eat Well

Eating well is something we should all strive to do most of the time, again there areso many health benefits to eating fruit and veg and reducing sugar intake on a daily basis, especially when travelling is something I need to work on. As with everything, moderation is key and that is something that I often need to remind myself of, especially when on the road. It’s too easy to eat ALL the ‘good’ stuff when travelling around the world and saying to yourself ‘it’s ok because I’ll walk it off’ but if you are anything like me, no amount of walking is ever enough to combat what I have eaten. Therefore, I try to always make good choices where possible to ensure my skin does not suffer. I was fortunate as a teenager to not suffer from acne, however as I have got older, pesky spots have often called my face home and that is predominately when I have not been eating right. So I always attempt to at least have a filling breakfast of fruit and eggs rather than fried food or pastries, although often my healthy(ish) eating rapidly goes downhill as the day goes on (oops!).

Ice, Ice Baby

Something I always do is get ice from either the ice machine or hotel bar and put a couple of cubes in a flannel or towel and place it across my eyes. I always find this is a great way to reduced puffiness and swelling. However, I am one of those unlucky people who have dark circles under my eyes and no amount of ice makes them go away. Therefore, I always carry a concealer with me and over the years I have tried a number of brands to try to cover them. Some have been great and some have not worked for me at all Recently, I have started using Know Cosmetics No Dark Shadows(£15) and it is one of the better ones I have ever used, possibly because it’s specifically designed to combat dark shadows and circles. I love the brush applicator which makes it super easy to apply and reduces not only the shadows but also the ever-growing number of fine wrinkles that are appearing around my eyes. Another bonus is that it lasts for around 5 hours, meaning once applied in the morning, I only need a quick touch up mid-afternoon.

Put In The Hours

Getting enough sleep is super important and luckily for me, I love to sleep. However, quite often, especially if jet lag is an issue, I suffer from lack of sleep when travelling. As I can hardly ever get any shut-eye on planes I often arrive at my destination tired – oh how I envy those people who nod off even before the plane has taken off. I also often find that once I get to where I’m going I struggle to sleep, either because of the time difference or simply because I am wired from all the travelling. Therefore, when I received a Tisserand Aromatherapy Travel Survival Kit as a Christmas present from a friend I was very eager to try it. It contained Sweet Dreams – Relaxing and comforting, with Lavender, Jasmine and Sandalwood, Energy – Revitalising & invigorating with Coriander, Orange and Lime and Travel – Refreshing and awakening with Grapefruit and Bergamot Mint. On a recent trip to Basel, I used the set as and when I needed it by simply sweeping the roller balls of the one I needed over my temples, back of the neck and/or wrists and massaged in gently.

I Like Your Smile

I find looking after my lips is necessary too. I am prone to cold sores and blisters in hot sunny destinations and chapped and flaky lips in cold windy ones. Neither of which look particularly attractive. I, therefore, ensure that I carry something to protect my lips depending on where and when I am going. Most days, especially in winter, my trusty little tin of Vaseline is always in my pocket and I apply it throughout the day to combat dry lips. For £1.50(ish), it is a beauty and travel essential that everyone should invest in. In summer and when travelling to hot countries I always use Ultrasun Ultra Lip Protection. I was introduced to this by my step-mother-in-law, in fact, she buys me one every year and since I started using it, I have never had a cold sore. I think that is primarily down to the fact that it contains SPF30 which prevents the sun burning my lips.
What products do you use when travelling, I’d love to know as I am always willing to try new things, especially sun lotion as sunburn is a massive issue for me and I am still looking for the BEST one out there!

This post contains links to articles which offer further information, items that were gifted, affiliate links and products I simply love!

It really is, isn’t it? Trying to keep up with your normal skincare routine can sometimes be impossible. Hope the post helps and thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂

Vicky & Chris

Thanks for joining us (Vicky & Chris, a married couple from Yorkshire, England) as we Eat, Sleep, Love and Travel our way around the world! Between us, we have been to 75 countries (long may the list grow!)

We have been travelling together since January 2007 when we took our first trip only two weeks from our first meeting to Florence, Italy.